A funeral for a friend

I returned to Fallsington on Saturday February 1, 2014 for a memorial service for one of my best friends growing up, Rick Chiviott, at the Fallsington Methodist Church. When I got to the church I sat in the back and as I was sitting there I noticed three women looking my way and I knew immediately they were trying to figure out who I was. I recognized Linda and Colleen from their pictures on Facebook. I figured the third was Colleen’s sister Cathy. They were older than me when I lived in Fallsington and one of my other best friends was Linda’s brother Mike. Colleen and Cathy were our neighbors behind the house and they used to babysit me once in a while. We were there to celebrate the life of our friend, Rick Chiviott.

I joined them in their pew and we got to talking about things going on around Fallsington. They were proud that they were still living in town and being part of the community. I think about all the good times I had in town and the friends I had and lost there and it made me sad that I couldn’t say I still live there. After the service we continued the conversation and caught up with each other’s lives. We told stories of some of the things we did back in the day; chicken stealing off a grill, Linda’s Red Chevelle, sneaking into the neighbors pool when they weren’t home or asleep, and riding our bikes on the dirt trails where Nottingham is now down on Lower Morrisville Road. As we were leaving the church we had a picture taken of the four of us. We have all aged and maybe grown wiser, but still can call Fallsington home or the place we grew up in.

Colleen, Linda, William, Cathy

After I said my goodbyes I walked down to take a look at the old house. My old neighbor Kevin was working on his son’s car in his garage and it made me think of the times he and I would work on bikes and cars in there.

We got talking about our lives and things going on and after a while he asked me if I missed living in Fallsington. I looked him right in the eye and admitted to him that I did. I missed the quiet and the friends I had in this town. I missed being able to play football in the street without the fear of being hit by a car. We reminisced about people we knew and those that had passed away and those that have gone missing from our worlds. We got caught up on our families and parents and sisters.

I then took the time to drive through town and reflect about my friend Rick and all the fun we had as kids in this great town. In the next few days I plan on writing more about Rick and my growing up in Fallsington and how he and the town made me….me.